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RRT Design & ConstructionMelville, NY- Milwaukee, WI- Baltimore, NY -Orlando, FL

Syracuse, NY- Vestal, NY- Philadelphia, PA-

www.rrtenviro.com

Maryland Recycling Network/SWANA Mid-Atlantic Conference

21st Century Technology:

Recycling Game Changers on the Horizon

Nathiel G. Egosi, P.E., President

June 22, 2016

• We build solid waste processing & recycling businesses

• 27 years of over 400 successful plants including over 80 complete greenfield operations

• Experts in MRF plant operations, equipment, process engineering & construction

2New York, NYContainer & Paper MRF

Ocean County, NJSingle Stream MRF

RRT DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

What is the future?

• More Commingling

• More Materials

• Integration with Collection

• Automation

• Vertical Integration

• Private vs Public

• Economic Drivers

State of MRFs

• 600+

• 80/20 Rule

• Players

• Self-Driven

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Core Issues

• Huge investments need to be spent/recovered

• Half of the people operating MRFs still lack confidence in the business

• 70% of our waste is unprocessed

• 50% of the waste processed is done poorly

• Relying on revenues to offsets costs confuses a fee based structure

• The PR of “zero waste” adds more confusion

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Business Parameters

• Collection

• Processing

• Logistics

• Marketing

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Generator End UserCurb Collect Process Ship Market

Business Parameters

Business ParametersProcessing

• Throughput

• Recovery Rates/Residue Rates

• Staffing

• Maintenance

• Safety

• Material Grades & Quality

• System Availability

• Equipment Efficiency

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MATURITY OF

THE INDUSTRY

AGING OF THE

PROCESS AND

PROCESSING

METHODS

INNOVATION

Business Parameters- Generator Trends

• Education- Most places virtually non-existent

• Mix Changes- Less Fiber, Fiber Compositions, More Plastics, More non-recyclable plastics

• Clean Loads/Dump & Bale- shrinking opportunities

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Business Parameters- Generator

Business Parameters- Collection

• Vehicle Types- transfer trailers, staging and yard tractors

• Automated- incoming contamination out of control

• Moisture- increasing issue for certain markets

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Business Parameters-Processing Trends

• Throughput- slowing down lines to improve quality/running more hours or running lines faster to “save money”.

• Recovery Rates- 90% was the standard, then 95% and now moved to 98.5%

• Staffing- adding labor to improve quality/cutting labor to save money.

• Maintenance & Safety- improving but the differences can be significant between plants

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Business Parameters-Processing Trends(Systems)

• Complexity & Size- Fascination, justifications are weak

• Reliability- 85~90%, low

• Screens- Plateaued or declining

• Quality of Equipment- Unsubtantiated claims

• Access & Guarding- Greatly improved

• Environmental (Noise/Dust)- Significant work is needed

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Business Parameters-Market Trends• Effort to Market- Increasing! Marketing demands more time such as

deductions for quality and moisture

• News- will continue to be less available, ONP grade is gone

• RMP- Mixed paper grade is growing (hard or soft mix)

• Prohibitives- Waxed corrugated, wet strength, moisture, glass, non-fiber (plastics, metals, food), and FILM are growing problems

• Cross Contamination of Products- Loss of $ most cases

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Business Parameters- Markets

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Business Parameters- MarketsHow to make a bale look good

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Business Parameters- MarketsGlass problems everywhere

Current Measures• Plant audits and performance evaluations

• Moving toward a processing fee based model

• Shift away from sorting screens, modify what we have

• Re-balancing lines for the changes of the evolving ton

• Looking for betters ways to deal with film

• Hub and spoke, transfer tons long distances

• Removal and simplification of equipment

• Removal and replacement with better equipment

• MRF closures and MRF stalls

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Generator End UserCurb Collect Process Ship Market

Business Parameters

Game Changers: The real examples

Game Changer Technology Impact

Commingling Containers Light-Heavy Separators(AirSort)

Collection

Automated Collection Sideloaders Collection

Batch Baling Bale Doors Processing

Automation Eddy Current Separators Processing

Automation Optical Sorters Processing

Single Stream Paper Screens Processing

RMP OCC Screens Processing

RMP Mixed Paper Grade Market

Metering Drum Feeder Processing

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A Quick Look Back in Time & Game Changers

An elevated sort System

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The AirSortTM

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A Quick Look Back in Time & Game Changers

Where we’re not going

Generator Collector ??

5 stacked bins Compartmentalized trucks

Manual Sort at Curb

5 gallon bucket with stacked bundled news

Pickups with trailer Manual Sort on Running board

Blue bin Dual routes

Blue bag Alternating day pickups

Large cart with internal compartments/trays

Rear end loader

Large cart for recyclables

Semi-automated side loaders

Automated side-loadersOptical Sorting (glass, plastic & paper)

A Quick Look Back in Time & Game Changers

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Single Stream Paper Screen

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Single Stream Paper Screen 1997

How we see the MRF trend...

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Single

Stream

Blue Bag

Two

Stream

Source

Separated

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Batch Baling

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OCC Screen

Eddy Current Separator

Life Before Metering Drums

Game Changers at MRF that didn’t take (examples)

Game Changer Technology Impact

Ferrous Containers Shredders/Delabelers Markets

Glass Color Sorting Optical Sorters-Glass Markets

Plastic Direct to Market Granulators-Plastic Markets

Bagging Recyclables at Curb

Debagger Collection

Plastic Densification Perforators Shipping

Adding Textiles Manual Sort Processing

Adding Wood Manual Sort Processing

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What is the future?

• More Commingling

• More Materials

• Integration with Collection

• Automation

• Vertical Integration

• Private vs Public

• Economic Drivers

Thoughts

• Huge investments need to be spent

• Half of the people operating MRFs still lack confidence in the business

• 70% of our waste is unprocessed

• 50% of the waste processed is done poorly

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Game Changers!

• Robotics- Processing

• Screens-Processing

• Mixed Waste Processing-Collection

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Robotics in Recycling

• Who: 4 companies so far

• What: QC Sorting

• Where: At end of the lines

• When: Next 5-10 years

• Why: Improve processing

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Robotics TechnologyBasic Principles

• Shape

• Height

• Material Type

• Color

• Orientation

• Location

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Robotics Technology

• Unit based (just like manual) so TPH claims are not an accurate measurement

• Capital intensive with results cost neutral?

• Complicated

• Not ready for prime time yet, but getting there

• A good commodity run will drive this game changer so long as MRFs can simultaneously increase throughput

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SADAKO Technologies Wall-B

• Barcelona, Spain based company founded in 2012

• Wall-B model – arm suspended robot with suction tool

• Suitable for low to mid flow rates of waste: 1 – 2.75 TPH

• Technology intended to complement optical and manual sorters

• 20 picks/minute

SADAKO Technologies Wall-B

Source: Sadako Technologies

SADAKO Technologies Wall-B

o 2 units in use at MRFs in Barcelona area

o Unit no. 3 to be installed during 2016

o Currently separates only PET

AMP Robotics

• Boulder, CO startup founded in 2015

• Delta and SCARA robots – robotic arms which can work with suction tools or grippers

• SCARA (suction): 50 picks/minute

• Delta (gripper): 80 picks/minute

• Recognizes and separates: cardboard, brick, wood, PET, HDPE and cartons

• Grippers customized for different materials and interchangeable

AMP Robotics

SCARASCARA

AMP Robotics

• Suction uses up to 30 CFM of compressed air during one pick ( 15 CFM average)

• Maximum weight the robot can lift: 13 lbs. (below 6 lbs. optimum)

• SCARA belt speed: 80 feet/minute

• Delta belt speed: 200 feet/minute

• 1 pilot unit in the US installed in 2016

ZenRobotics

• Helsinki, Finland, founded 2007

• ZenRobotics Recycler – two robotic arms suspended above a conveyor belt

• ZRR uses a gripper to pick up and then toss material into chutes

• Each robot 2000 picks/hour (approx. 33 picks/minute) up to 11 lbs. Maximum weight lifted is 44 lbs.

• Purchase price: $1M (2 robotic arms + sensor enclosure + control system)

ZenRobotics

ZenRobotics

ZenRoboticsZenRobotics

Bollegraaf Recycling Solutions

• Appingedam, Netherlands based company

• Represented by VAN DYK Recycling Solutions

• RoBB – detection module, sorting module and conveyor belt

• Laser-guided system to detect the height of waste and suction tool

• One robot: 4,000 picks/hour (approx. 66 picks/minute)

• Typical installation comes with four robot arms (12,000 picks/hour)

• Purchase price: $1M (2 robotic arms + sensor enclosure + control system)

Bollegraaf Recycling Solutions

Bollegraaf Recycling SolutionsFew units installed in Europe

Robotic technologies at MRFs (today)

Company SADAKO AMP RoboticsZen

RoboticsBollegraaf

Technology Suction Suction/Gripper Gripper Suction

Picks/min per robot

20 50/80 33 66

Type of waste PETC&D, Rigid

Plastics, Plastic Containers, Paper

C&D, Rigid Plastics

PlasticsContainers &

Paper

# of Installations 2 0 11 4

Cost (packagedas 2 robots)

Unknown NA $ 1 million $ 1 million

Cost excludes installation and “balance of plant”

Robotics Summary• Model is following the route of optical

• Sort speed per robot matches human; 50% of the time not sorting

• Well suited for quality control after optical sorting

• Higher purity results than optical

• Grippers and suction prone to wear and tear

• Expectation: We will see these as soon as low commodity prices break

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Robotics Applications

• PET QC Sorter

• HDPE QC Sorter

• PP Sorter

• Aseptic Sorter

• OCC Sorter on Fiber Line

• Last chance sorter on residue line

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Screens

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Getting Rid of Screens

• Safety

• Downtime

• Parts Costs

• Dust

• Efficiencies Remain Low

• Throughput has Improved

• News is declining

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Screen Alternatives?

• Reduce angle to horizontal- less agitation, size driven

• Ballistic Separators

• Make one paper grade

• Optical Sorters

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Ballistic Separators: Early Applications

• Brini System-1994

• Bezner- Inclined Sorting Machine 1996

• KWS- circa 1998

• Stadler- SIMS/Hugo Neu 2010

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Simple Inclined Belt

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Advanced Inclined Belt

City of Phoenix

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Source-Hartner

Ballistic Separators-Today

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Ballistic Separators-Today• Individual “Paddles” or “Slats”

• Eccentric-crankshaft

• Substantial agitation

• Includes screening capability

Ballistic Separators-Today

• Can be stacked

• Can be angle adjusted

• NO WRAPPING

• NO DUST

• Throughput limitations

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Vendors

• Hartner(BRT/Eggersmann)- Germany

• Komptech- Austria

• Machinex- Canada

• McLanahan- Pennsylvania

• Parini- Italy

• Stadler- Germany

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Hartner/Metaltech

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McLanahan

Stadler

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Ballistic Separator-Features

• Angle Adjustment

• Fans

• Covers

• Stacking

• 3 sorts

• Screening sizes of 2 inches to 4 inches.

• Widths of 5 ft. to 17 ft.

• Different paddle styles, widths and numbers

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Mixed Waste MRF Defined (aka “Dirty MRF”)

• Processes municipal solid waste to recover recyclables

• Uses similar equipment, processes & techniques as single-stream

• Includes special equipment unique to dealing with garbage

• Liberates, rough separation by shape and size & then more precise separation into target commodity materials

• Offers opportunity for organics recovery & alternative energy

The Need for a Business Case (1)

Considerations Mixed Waste MRF

% Non-recyclables after

processing

80-90% 10-20%

% Recyclables recovery 80-90% 95-98%

Recyclables from market area 95+% 25-50%

Sizing of plant (residential only) 3-4x x

The Need for a Business Case (2)

The math at this time is complicated, unsupported, political & volatile

– Data is not real – Variables from location to location is high, no standard– This is really about garbage, not recycling. Garbage is about $– Tipping fees & economy affect flow, commodity prices affect

everything

We are years away from knowing the costs….think back to MRFs & how long it took to understand those costs…

On the Other Hand…

Mixed waste processing vs. landfill is a compelling debate

Landfill Mixed Waste Diversion

% Recyclables recovered 0 10%

% Organics recovered for further processing into biogas

0 25-35%

% Materials recovered for further processing into RDF

0 45-55%

Remaining work Minimal

Need: AD plant with answers for

digestate RDF plant with combustion

component Landfill for residues

Concluding MWP Comments MWP is a high-value proposition for multi-family streams & rural

communities

MWP should not be thought of an alternative but rather as an incremental & complimentary tool for traditional source-separation, curbside recycling

Be prepared: arguments about this subject often have little to do with recycling but rather with other institutional factors and of course, $

MWP is effective in producing a variety of rich streams suitable as inputs to other processes; contaminated organics, mixed plastics & a refuse derived fuel (RDF)

Create Realistic recycling goals

• Focus should be on MRF contamination levels

MRFs

–Ballistic Separators on Single Stream

–Optical Sorters on Fiber

–Robotics for containers complimenting Optical

Mixed Waste Processing MRFS

–Organics for Energy Recovery & Treatment

–Alternative Materials for Energy Recovery & Treatment

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The MRF of TomorrowTechnology Game Changers!